Missile

A Look at US Air Force Trainees

MISSILE follows the 4315th Training Squadron of the Strategic Air Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where Air Force officers are trained to man the Launch Control Centers for the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.

Sequences include discussion of the moral and military issues of nuclear war; the arming, targeting and launching of the missile; codes; communications; protection against terrorist attack; emergency procedures; staff meetings and tutorial sessions.

"Wiseman... has given a fair and hard look into the 20th century's most horrifying institution, one that should occasion serious reflection by hawks and doves alike" - Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter

Related videos

MANOEUVRE follows a U.S. infantry tank company through NATO's annual fall manoeuvres in Western Europe. One purpose of these war games is to test how quickly and effectively U.S. reinforcements can come to the aid of NATO forces stationed in Europe. The various stages of the training exercise, including defensive…

SINAI FIELD MISSION shows the routine activities of the diplomats and electronics technicians who operate the U.S. Sinai Field Mission, the early warning system established in 1976 to help facilitate the disengagement between Egypt and Israel after the 1973 war. The major purpose of the Mission is to monitor the…

This classic Frederick Wiseman documentary follows a company of draftees and enlisted men through the nine weeks of the basic training cycle. The varieties of training techniques used by the army in converting civilians to soldiers are illustrated in scenes of drills, M-16 and bayonet use, a gas chamber, mines,…

A documentary by Frederick Wiseman about the people who live and work in the Panama Canal Zone. CANAL ZONE shows both the operation of the Canal and the various governmental agencies -- business, military, and civilian -- related to the functioning of the Canal and the lives of the Americans…

Winner of an Emmy and the Independent Spirit Award, WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM is an intimate look at the young men who fight our wars and the families and town they come from. Returning to her hometown, Director Heather Courtney gains extraordinary access following these young men as they grow…

For more than 70 years, Colombia has been plagued with armed internal conflict. The ongoing struggle between various guerrilla factions, military and paramilitary forces, and drug traffickers has created a culture of violence and fear that has pervaded every aspect of daily life.
Filmmaker Camilo Restrepo, who, like many Colombians…

Going to war is confusing, but it's nothing compared to coming home. Academy Award nominee Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, accompanied two combat veterans and a photojournalist on a 300-mile walk along the railroad lines from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh.
Sleeping under bridges, bathing in rivers and dodging…

In recent years, weapon-cam footage from distant wars has invaded the screens of civilian life. Now the crosshairs of the drone, smart bomb, helicopter gunship, satellite, and sniper scope have become a dominant window through which we see and "experience" war.
Drawing from his book on this phenomenon, Dr. Roger…

Terrorism is the main threat to the worlds order. The most dangerous weapon of terror is a suicide-attacker or a so-called suicide bomber. What makes young people do so? The authors of the film are looking for an answer to this question investigating the history of activities of religious sects,…

This one of a kind documentary follows an Algerian reporter Mohammed Sifaoui over a period of four months as he infiltrated an Islamic AL-Qaeda network in France.
Passing himself as a religious fundamentalist, who believes in the theories of Osama Bin Laden, he wins the confidence of the network members,…

Israel invests heavily in military weapons research, which isn't surprising given it's history and location. Large companies develop and test deadly technology, which is sold worldwide by private agents, often to countries with oppressive regimes and abysmal human rights records. This process takes place among a highly developed network of…

From Executive Producers Wim Wenders and Errol Morris, NATIONAL BIRD follows three U.S. military veteran whistleblowers determined to break the silence on America's secret drone war. These veterans offer an unprecedented look inside the secret program to reveal the cost of America's global drone strikes.
Official Selection at the Tribeca…